The Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC) has received crucial guidance from the Standard and Transfer Specification Association (STS), underscoring the urgent necessity of migrating and modernizing the prepaid vending system and meters. Within each credit token, a unique identifier (TID) is encoded, consisting of 20 digits, designed to prevent token reuse on the meter. Currently, all token identifiers are referenced to a base date of 1993, and this reference will reach its limit in 2024, resulting in meters rejecting tokens beyond this date, a phenomenon known as “TID-Rollover.”
To address this issue, LEC has initiated the process of updating customers’ prepaid meters. This involves issuing two key change tokens, which will reset and update the meters’ base date from 1993 to 2014, effectively extending the meters’ operational life by another 30 years. Currently, the project stands at 50% completion, with 211,625 prepaid meters successfully updated, leaving just over 200,000 meters pending the update. LEC has made the issuance of key change tokens accessible to customers through a user-friendly USSD platform, accessible by dialling *501# and following the provided instructions on mobile phones.
The “TID-Rollover project” is closely tied to the “Non-TID Compliant meter replacement project. “This initiative officially commenced on the 1st of March 2023, involving the engagement of three contractors working in the Central regions.

However, the replacement of these types of meters was already underway in all regions, with LEC teams addressing reported faulty meters.
Based on system information, the total number of these meters is 14,279, of which only 3,373 had been reported as problematic. As of today, the 20th of September 2023, a total of 4,012 meters have been replaced, including those not reported during the campaign. Mr. Tsepo Mololo, LEC’s Metering Manager, emphasized, “As the deadline rapidly approaches, and with the customer base continuing to grow, utilities are racing against time to achieve compliance.”

The Customer Experience Division’s mission is to execute the TID-Rollover and Meter replacement
project through the Metering department. The department’s primary goal is to ensure accurate measurement and protect LEC’s revenue, while striving to complete the project within the estimated timeframe.